Throne of Silk and Smoke

Not long after Father entered the palace to ask for a marriage decree on my behalf, the palace urgently sent someone to summon me for an audience. I knew this had to be because of my marriage, so I followed the palace chamberlain, David Smith, to the palace.

However, before I got to the imperial study, I ran into Maurice Swain and one of his buddies. They approached me, and Maurice asked coldly, "Where are you going? You seem like you're in a hurry."

"Your Highness, Ms. Chapman has been summoned to the palace to see the emperor and empress. They want to speak to her about her marriage," David answered.

Maurice and his friend immediately smiled mockingly. His friend said, "Looks like you're really excited to marry Maurice, Ms. Chapman."

"You're the chancellor's daughter, Giselle. Why don't you have any of the self-respect and dignity every proper lady should have? You're so desperate to marry me that you're even getting Father and Her Majesty involved," Maurice said.

His friend added, "I bet she's going to use Their Majesties to force you into marrying her, Maurice."

I looked at them, clearly seeing the scorn and disdain in Maurice's eyes. It was too bad I'd been so foolish in my past life that I'd thought that was just what he was like. I'd thought he wasn't nasty deep inside. Now, I realized how dumb I'd been.

I said, "Rest assured that I know my place, Prince Maurice. I'm wholly undeserving of you."

Maurice and his friend laughed at my words. He said, "I'm glad you know that! Still, becoming a nun is all you can do if you don't marry me. After all, everyone in the capital knows that you're mine."

He smiled meaningfully.

His friend asked, "Did you do something to upset Ms. Chapman, Maurice? Look at how she's starting to play hard to get now!"

Maurice leaned in. "Giselle, I can marry you, but only if you behave. When you see Father and Her Majesty, persuade them to let me also take Camilla as a concubine."

I frowned. Maurice was as obnoxious as he'd been in my past life, but he'd only dared to keep Camilla Chapman as his mistress. Why was he being so bold now and laying everything out in the open?

"Let me take Camilla as a concubine, or I won't marry you." He glared at me. "You don't want to end up childless and alone, do you?"

My heart clenched, and I formed a terrifying guess—Maurice had also been reborn.

In my past life, he hadn't dared to marry Camilla because he'd feared retribution from Father and me. Instead, he'd found ways to lace the tonics I took daily with herbs that would cause me to be infertile and weaken me. That had led to my death a few years later.

He was probably still expecting things to play out the way they had in our past lives—that I would meet the same end if I insisted on marrying him.

"We're not strangers to each other, Giselle. Do as I say, and things will work out well for us both," Maurice said.

He was clearly out to get me, yet he thought he was acting for my good. I wanted nothing more than to slap him hard across the face, but Mr. Smith was urging me to hurry to the imperial study for my audience with the emperor and empress. I had no choice but to swallow my anger and leave with him.